Calgary motorists will get a slight reprieve from the usually busy summer construction season as capital funding for roads projects is tighter than usual. Last summer, Calgary roads were being torn up for several multi-year projects, including the west LRT’s installation, the rehabilitation of Elbow Drive and upgrades on 52nd Street S.E. Those projects are finished now and there are only a handful of major disruptions planned for the coming months.

The city is at high risk of delivering four-car LRT service a year later than has long been promised, thanks largely to delays in getting provincial grants to buy new cars. Since at least 2008, Calgary Transit’s promised antidote to rush-hour cramming on CTrain lines was an extra car on the three-vehicle chains starting in late 2014.

CALGARY — A Calgary woman was killed in front of her family while on vacation in British Columbia when a rock from a passing truck smashed through the windshield of the family’s vehicle. RCMP said the incident happened on Highway 93/95 at Canal Flats, south of Fairmont Hot Springs, about 11 a.m. Friday.

CALGARY — Fatal crashes involving road debris, like the death of a Calgary woman when a rock crashed through a windshield last week in British Columbia, are exceedingly rare. There were no fatal crashes caused by debris in B.C. in 2010 and 2011, according to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, although there were nine between 2007 and 2009.

CALGARY — A pedestrian is fighting for his life after being struck by a motorist who may have been blinded by the setting sun early Tuesday evening. The pedestrian, believed to be an elderly male, was crossing the street at the intersection of Elbow Drive and 75th Avenue S.W. when he was struck by a turning vehicle driven by an adult woman.

Wintry weather and lousy road conditions kept emergency crews busy responding to calls Thursday morning.Calgary police said there were a reported 33 non-injury collisions and seven injury collisions between midnight and 9 a.m.The volume of collisions is up significantly from the same period last year when there were just 16 non-injury and injury collisions.

CALGARY — Local war veterans could soon get a break on the cost of parking downtown. Plans to credit drivers with veteran licence plates would see them offered two hours of free parking each month, if Ald. Shane Keating gets his way.

A woman in her 20s will likely survive after she was hit downtown by an SUV in rush-hour traffic Monday afternoon. The woman was walking northbound on 10th Street S.W. using the 6th Avenue crosswalk when a northbound Toyota FJ Cruiser made a left-hand turn and struck the victim at around 4:30 p.m., according to duty inspector Paul Stacey.

Calgary cyclists could see a calmer commute this winter after on-street bike routes were deemed a priority for snow plowing crews. City officials declared at least 27 lane kilometres of marked bike routes will be given Priority One status, during an information session held on its Snow and Ice Control Program on Wednesday.

Imperial Oil workers used to being in the centre of Calgary’s transit universe will instead be taking shuttles to the company’s new home in Quarry Park, a spokesman said. The rapidly growing southeast office park will get a station on the southeast LRT line, but under current city plans that won’t happen until sometime next decade.

Commuters’ coffee-deprived minds weren’t playing tricks on them this spring. Yes, the same stretch of Elbow Drive was dug up and closed for repairs twice in as many years. Ald. Brian Pincott let out a snicker Tuesday when a council committee was discussing a report whose title mentioned, “Co-operation with ATCO Pipelines.”

Calgary’s police chief wants demerit points as well as fines handed out to Albertans caught talking or texting on their cellphone behind the wheel, a recommendation the premier is willing to listen to. Rick Hanson says just having a $172 fine under the province’s distracted driving legislation is not a strong enough message about the dangers of failing to pay attention on the road.

Calgary Transit fare cheaters will face $250 tickets if they’re caught starting this fall, as council’s transportation committee voted 12-1 to hike a series of transit fines. The penalty for fare evasion has sat at $150 for nearly two decades. The committee’s overwhelming approval for the proposed increases virtually assures passage at a future council meeting, and the fine hike should take effect by September, transit security co-ordinator Brian Whitelaw told reporters.

Motorists shouldn’t fear price hikes heading into the Victoria Day holiday — experts are predicting gasoline prices to remain stable for the season’s first long weekend. “We’re going to see relatively flat gas prices,” said Jason Toews, an industry expert and owner of Gasbuddy.com.

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